“Obra Del Maestro”
For my final project, I wanted to execute a painting that resembled the closest indigenous group to the region my father is from. Wendy Red Star inspired me to create this piece because I enjoyed reading and watching her create her passion for art through the history of her Native American side. Trama Textiles is a renowned producer of Guatemala's unique and traditionally crafted fabrics, which have gained international recognition. Despite the pervasive influence of globalization, Guatemala's indigenous people remain proud of their heritage, creating and wearing beautiful, colorful, and intricately embellished costumes. In light of the global conversation surrounding racial discrimination, honoring those who confidently display their cultural traditions is all the more admirable.
Guatemala is a small country located in Central America, however, being this small does not mean that this little gem can not contain rich history. In fact, Guatemala holds a rich Mayan Cultural diversity and customs that have been passed down through generations. There are at least 24 distinct spoken languages throughout the country and these are found specifically in different regions. In addition, to the languages spoken in Guatemala, there is also a significant variation in how people from those regions design and wear their traditional clothing.
Their Traje, or native dress, can differ from village to village, influenced by history, folklore, religious belief, available resources, wildlife, natural features, and climate of each region. Their pieces are hand women with vibrant colors and complex patterns and designs, the fabrics often come in floral, animal prints, or patterns. Geometric patterns and designs that are heavily used in the region where my father is from- Chimaltenango- are diamonds, circles, triangles, zig-zagged lines, and curved lines. These shapes and patterns indicate features of landscapes, such as volcanoes, mountains, and rivers.
In my painting, I wanted to construct a medium that conveyed my heritage but also a personal detail that I “hand-made” THIS. Simply because knowing that my culture is driven by hand-making anything, I felt that this project needed to be more intimate and detailed oriented. The girl in my painting is me and on top of my head, you can see that I'm wearing this basket with food, typically women in Guatemala carry their corn, and flour that they hand-pressed and turned so that they can make fresh tortillas at home, avocados, beans, etc. To put me in this painting meant that I also imagined myself walking through the mountainous terrains that pertain to my Father’s region and how difficult these daily routines are for women in Guatemala.
They’re wearing thick fabrics as clothing plus carrying this basket of food, and then walking miles to get to my home, - sounds insane in my life but normal in this life. Despite the fact that my actual face is not shown, it’s important to note that not all Guatemalan self-portraits show their faces, a lot to do with the culture among sexes when it comes to drawing women. Out of respect, they don’t show their faces. Another is to not admire the person's face or beauty but to emphasize the bigger picture, which shows the landscape the detail in the clothes, the food, and what the person is doing, all these points have a greater significance than what the person looks like. Overall, I had a lot of fun creating this painting, inspired look from a painter from Atitlan Guatemala, Antonio Coche, who vividly portrayed the history and culture of my heritage with a lot of pride and detail.
“Obra Del Maestro”
References
No comments:
Post a Comment